Professor systemically attacked as‘racist’ for saying ‘"mob"’ can sue trustees

quote:

---

Judge Hala Jarbou dismissed Professor Jack Lipton’s lawsuit against the board of trustees except for his claims against Trustee Rema Vassar in her personal and official capacity. His claim against Trustee Dennis Denno in his official capacity also remains, according to the May 28 ruling.

---

quote:

---

Michigan State University Professor Jack Lipton says trustees organized a targeted campaign against him

A Michigan State University professor can sue two trustees for their role in a targeted campaign against him, a federal judge ruled recently.

Judge Hala Jarbou dismissed Professor Jack Lipton’s lawsuit against the board of trustees except for his claims against Trustee Rema Vassar in her personal and official capacity. His claim against Trustee Dennis Denno in his official capacity also remains, according to the May 28 ruling.

As previously reported, controversy began in October 2023, while Lipton served as faculty senate chair. He delivered a letter on behalf of the faculty senate criticizing Vassar, then the chair of the board, for allegations of unethical conduct.

According to the lawsuit, Vassar also accepted gifts from a university donor, including traveling on a private jet. She also appeared in an ad endorsing a former trustee’s private wealth management business.

Vassar, anticipating a large turnout at the meeting due to allegations against her, organized her sorority sisters to attend. Her supporters “jeered” at anyone who spoke out against her during the meeting, according to Lipton’s lawsuit.

“The chaos brought and disrespect shown by her supporters could have been stopped by a single statement from Chair Vassar, yet she elected to let the mob rule the room,” Lipton told The Detroit News the next day. This statement, according to Denno, was racist. Denno coordinated with an unnamed student, according to The State News, to contact a reporter and say “Lipton= Racist.”

Denno and Vassar continued to target Lipton, as summarized in Judge Jarbou’s ruling:

Lipton alleges facts that illustrate the affirmative actions Vassar and Denno took—while acting as BOT members—that were motivated by Lipton’s speech and would chill First Amendment activity of a person of ordinary firmness. Vassar and Denno crafted the language that others would use to attack Lipton. They pushed students to file complaints. And while engaging in their official responsibilities at the December 15, 2023 BOT meeting, they coordinated with students to raise attacks against Lipton due to his protected speech. Public officials cannot insulate themselves from violating the First Amendment’s protections by simply manipulating others to engage in retaliatory conduct—particularly when they leverage their public positions to do so.

Professor Lipton says an executive firm associate told him the controversies would hurt him as he sought employment elsewhere. On this basis, the judge ruled Lipton had a case.

However, Judge Jarbou ruled that Lipton did not have claims against the other trustees because they did not do anything specifically against him. He alleged they were at fault because they should have stepped in to stop Denno and Vassar. The board did, as the ruling notes, censure Denno and Vassar.

Around the same time as the ruling, The State News reported that Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, would not be removing Denno and Vassar from the board. This decision came even though “an outside investigation found the trustees violated board bylaws and code of ethics by interfering in university affairs and using student groups to orchestrate attacks against colleagues.”

---